Pashinyan hinted that the pro-Russian CSTO does not ensure the security of Armenia

The CSTO has not responded to numerous statements about threats to the security of Armenia. Now Yerevan is diversifying its security relations, looking for new partners, new arms suppliers. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated this in the country's parliament.
According to him, Yerevan is not preparing the ground for leaving the CSTO, but is giving itself and the bloc time to think.

“The main fundamental problem in terms of relations with the organization is its actual refusal to determine the area of ​​responsibility in Armenia,” Pashinyan noted. Earlier, the Armenian prime minister refused to go to the organization’s summit in Minsk.

The Collective Security Treaty Organization is a regional international organization created to “protect the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity” of its member states. It includes the Russian Federation, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. In fact, the CSTO is a regional analogue of NATO under the leadership of the Russian Federation.

Последние новости
Another drone attack repelled in Rostov Oblast; region also used as launch point for strikes on Ukraine
Chronicle of Wars and Crimes
Another drone attack repelled in Rostov Oblast; region also used as launch point for strikes on Ukraine
19 October 2026

On the night of October 19, Rostov Oblast was once again among the Russian regions targeted by drones. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, a total of 149 Ukrainian drones were shot down over Russian territory throughout the night.

MMA fighter from Chechnya hospitalized following a brawl involving gunfire in Vladikavkaz
Society
MMA fighter from Chechnya hospitalized following a brawl involving gunfire in Vladikavkaz
18 October 2026

Mixed martial arts fighter Ibragim Islamov, known by the nickname "Nikarkho," sustained a gunshot wound from a non-lethal (traumatic) pistol during an altercation in the center of Vladikavkaz. Two people were injured in the incident, both of whom were hospitalized. The North Ossetia branch of the Russian Interior Ministry has opened a criminal case, and one of the individuals involved has been detained.

Azerbaijan marks 35 years of independence—33 of which have seen the country ruled by a single family
Society
Azerbaijan marks 35 years of independence—33 of which have seen the country ruled by a single family
18 October 2026

On October 18, Azerbaijan celebrates the Day of the Restoration of Independence. It was on this date in 1991 that the republic’s Supreme Soviet adopted a Constitutional Act, formalizing the country’s departure from the Soviet system and the restoration of its state sovereignty.

US Congressman Calls Kobakhidze’s Meeting with Iranian President an “Insult to Trump”
Politics
US Congressman Calls Kobakhidze’s Meeting with Iranian President an “Insult to Trump”
18 October 2026

American Republican Congressman Joe Wilson has criticized Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze for holding talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. The meeting took place in Yerevan on the sidelines of the 17th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17).